On 20 July, the results of the DAB's three-month Price Busters Campaign were announced in a media conference. The cost of food and other everyday items has been a cause for concern for some time and suspicions abounded regarding inflated prices and discrepancies between the two major supermarket chains, ParknShop and Wellcome. An analysis of the prices recorded weekly in supermarkets across the territory by DAB volunteers throughout the campaign revealed some interesting facts.

Initial findings showed a large discrepancy between prices at the two supermarket chains, ParknShop and Wellcome, with Wellcome charging significantly more on average for the same products. However, the publication of the initial results and growing consumer awareness has forced Wellcome to readdress its pricing policies.

During the campaign, the DAB noted a steady increase in the prices of everyday items at ParknShop. A comparison of the price checks for the same ten-predetermined items conducted on 7 May, 2 June and 30 June showed that the average price in ParknShop increased by a total of $8.10 over two months, while the average price at Wellcome dropped by $0.2, bringing prices at the two chains more in line. Comparing the findings on two price checks conducted on 7 May and 30 June, at the end of June only 29 products were more expensive in Wellcome, while 93 were the same price and 37 were actually cheaper.

Starting from week 6 of the campaign a second price check was introduced to collect data on the prices of goods on a Friday. This data was then compared to information collected on a Monday. This was designed to investigate suggestions that Friday was a good day for bargain hunting. In fact, the opposite was revealed. In both chains, the combined total of the ten pre-determined items was higher on a Friday than on a Monday. Only a very small proportion of goods were in fact cheaper on a Friday.

Another component of the campaign was also introduced in week 6 - comparisons between large supermarkets and smaller grocery stores. Volunteers purchased similar or identical products in non-chain stores in their area in order to find which establishments were offering fairer prices. Despite natural assumptions to the contrary, it was revealed that small grocery stores are in fact generally cheaper than large supermarket chains.

In conclusion, we can sum up as follows:

• The DAB feels the campaign has played an important role in raising consumer awareness but remains unsatisfied with the prices set by the large chains. Overall, the prices of goods in ParknShop and Wellcome have increased steadily over the last three months. Consumers are advised to check all prices before making a purchase. 
• We were sorry to hear that when the price check was conducted in a ParknShop store in Yuen Long, our volunteers were stopped by store staff who took away their notes. Thanks to the assistance of the police, the notes were eventually returned. We feel that as a socially-responsible organisation, ParknShop should not have conducted themselves in this manner. We hope a similar situation will not recur.
• We feel that the campaign was successful in achieving its purpose. Since the launch of our campaign in May, "price checking" has become a trend in society and transparency in stores has increased. Not only do consumers compare prices when they shop, media organisations have also implemented price check programmes. The Government also announced a grant of $5 million to the Consumer Council to increase the scale of their price check.